In an effort to enhance use of the disability tax credit (DTC), the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Tuesday announced consultations on measures to simplify the application process and to cap promoters’ fees.
The CRA announced upcoming consultations, both online and in-person, in response to a private members’ bill (put forth by Tory backbencher, Cheryl Gallant) that seeks to limit the fees that can be charged for helping to complete a disability tax credit request. The in-person consultations will be held in four cities: Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax.
The consultations aim to generate feedback on how the CRA can simplify the application process, and to help develop regulations to establish the maximum fee that can be charged for completing a DTC application and claiming the disability amount. The tax agency reports that for the 2012-2013 fiscal year about 620,000 taxpayers claimed the DTC; whereas, it estimates that about 1.1 million taxpayers are eligible for the credit (approximately 50% of those are seniors, it says).
“Through these important consultations, we want to hear from persons with disabilities, tax preparers, qualified practitioners and Canadians in general. We want input on how the provisions of the [proposed legislation] can be effectively implemented, how we can simplify the disability tax credit process to better meet the needs of persons with disabilities and those who care for them. We must ensure that people with disabilities are not paying excessive fees for help in completing a DTC request,” said Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Minister of National Revenue.